I never get tired of getting new watches in hand. Even after thousands of timepieces have passed through my possession, I remain surprised at how surprised I am still able to be. The more watches I encounter, the more I must remind myself to keep an open mind and to get them on the wrist. If I’d ignored that sage advice, I might still be sleeping on the Grand Seiko SBGW257 and SBGW259.The Gr

LL Cool J’s lyrics “Don’t call it a comeback, I’ve been here for years” are very much in place when it comes to Bvlgari’s watches. With the recent Octo Finissimo watches, they are throwing some good punches. We’ve been raving about the Bvlgari Octo Finissimo watches a number of times, it has become one of our favorite new watches.You are probably also awar

If it hadn’t been for this magnificent watch catch, I would never have learned that the Japanese had a Bond-like hero that fought bad guys too. In the 1965 TV drama Spy Catcher J3, Agent J3 drives a flying Corvette Stingray, but more importantly for today's story, he wears the Calendar Auto Orient Swimmer Worldtrip.Orient was one of those watch brands that I?was aware of but kept towards the

We know Genteel Handmade best for its luxurious, fully customizable straps. Recently, I’ve even been wearing my first fully custom band from the brand (a wiskey Maya leather deployant with brown stitching and a red goat lining) so I can fully attest to the awesome results of this flexible service. However, today the brand adds a new string to its bow. Say hello to Cordura watch straps tough

Reputation is everything in this industry. Brands with a good rep can sell products sight unseen. But it takes time to get to that stage. While is handing out branded blindfolds in exchange for willing clients’ credit cards as their authorized dealers herd them into an almost stockless store, the rest of the industry is fighting tooth and nail for a slice of the pie. The phenomenon has ope

As a lifelong road cycling fan, visiting the Tour de France is just about the biggest sporting treat I can imagine. The idea of “taking part” in a mini-stage with my fellow journalists is a privilege far beyond any station I could believe to be mine. Hanging around the finishing area, waiting for our bike-mounted heroes to arrive so we can interview them is a dream I never dared dream.

The Omega Speedmaster Snoopy is perhaps the most popular modern variation of the Moonwatch. The first Speedmaster Snoopy Award was introduced in 2003, and the third - and final - model in 2020. Where the first two Snoopy models were limited editions, the last version is not. That said, the Speedmaster Silver Snoopy 50th Anniversary is not that easy to obtain.In this video, I will guide you through

The time has finally come. Most of the editors have had their chance to tell you about the watch collection that they’d create for $5K. It's always a fun hypothetical situation to explore. With a snap of the fingers, you find yourself at the start of the watch-collecting road. There's nothing in your watch box, but you have $5,000 to get started - what do you do? Now, in this scenario, we ma

Say “Fifty Fathoms” and most people will immediately think of the classic dive watch from 1953. The Blancpain Fifty Fathoms introduced the dive-watch aesthetic as we know it today. The Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe, however, has been a regular part of the Blancpain collection since 2013. With its more modern and minimalist looks, it is a different line of watches than the more traditional

All right, we are down to the second semi-final match of our 2022 Summer Splash contest! We are closing in on the freshest, brightest, most fun watch to take on your sunny adventures. Today's contestants are Nacho with his Serica 5303-3 and Thomas with the NOMOS Club Campus Future Orange. The Serica left RJ's Oris ProPilot X for dead. The NOMOS made short work of Ben's Oris Aquis. This, then, is t

Part of the allure of microbrands is following the journey of the creators. Seeing how the people behind the brands evolve their design language and products over time provides a fascinating insight into their minds. Admittedly, some of these brands amount to very little and rehash the same concepts repeatedly. They pump out “limited edition” after limited edition” with not much

We are fans of the Citizen Promaster Mechanical Diver 200m series. The watches in it offer incredible value for money and bring back a design from 1977 that is as relevant today as it was back in the late? ’70s. The latest addition to Promaster Mechanical Diver 200m lineup is an all-black version, reference NB6025-59H. This stealthy take on the model looks quite different from its more tradi

Have you been to the historic center of Amsterdam lately? There's a lovely area in the Jordaan neighborhood called the Negen Straatjes (Nine Streets) where you'll find interesting fashion boutiques, a vintage watch shop, nice restaurants, cool bars, artisanal ice cream parlors, and also a place where they serve hand-cut French fries. If you were there, you couldn't overlook long lines everywhere i

When the new Hublot Classic Fusion Essential Grey models hit our screens, they immediately stood out. We always love seeing what the brand comes up with for its Classic Fusion. After all, the watch tells Carlo Crocco’s original Hublot story. But there is more to it than that. The Classic Fusion also still looks just as relevant as it did when it was first introduced. The new 42mm and 45mm mo

While my love of vintage-infused watches is cyclical, my love of dive watches is constant. There is just something about the purity and a sense of purpose that will always keep the genre on my favorite list. When done right, as with the shape and size of Certina’s DS Super PH1000M STC, a touch of retro can truly dial up the desirability scale.Certina's DS line represents value-for-money spor

The Summer Olympics will kick off in Paris in less than a month. Zenith has created the Defy Skyline edition Paris to help celebrate the occasion. It uses a different style of dial, which may leave potential buyers wishing that this limited edition watch wasn’t only offered in France.Omega is the first brand that comes to mind when we think of the Olympics and watches. However, during my rec

You've seen the Patek Philippe Alarm Travel Time before but never in a two-tone look. Since Watches and Wonders 2024, there’s the reference 5520RG, a very complicated and exclusive travel watch in rose and white gold. The colorway might sound very 1990s, but the sunburst dial is very en vogue.Do we start with the exclusive or the complicated nature of the Alarm Travel Time 5520RG? Since this

Another challenge accepted, and this time, it’s a hard one. As you know, $5,000 is not the -bag-filling stash it once was. Yes, I’m old, but it wasn’t that long ago that $5K was big money. Finding the best watches under $5,000 is not easy these days.I say that reasonably subjectively, even understanding Lex’s point about expecting big-brand luxury for the money. And for som

Since last weekend (27th of June), the first Dutch Watch Heritage event opened its doors in Schoonhoven, The Netherlands. Schoonhoven is (in The Netherlands) famous for its jewellery and horology school and its museum. The museum, lead by Gemke Jager, hosts the Dutch Watch Heritage event from the 27th of June till the 5th of July.The main idea behind the Dutch Watch Heritage is to display the (oft

If you are in London between the 3rd of July and the 2nd of October, make sure to pay 170 New Bond Street in London a visit. Haute Horlogerie boutique Marcus is celebrating three important things, his late father’s arrival in England in 1932, his 70th birthday and the 10th anniversary of his magnificent shop in London.On the picture above, you see owner Marcus Margulies wearing his AP RO, as